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Crime Report Writing Essentials

This document provides guidance on report writing for law enforcement. It outlines the importance of thorough and accurate reporting, defines different types of reports and their purposes. The key sections are on observation skills, the purpose of various law enforcement reports, styles of reports, essential qualities of good reports, and components that should be included in reports like descriptions, chronological order of events, and identifying information. Examples of activities are provided where students practice writing reports on burglary and robbery cases.

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336 views36 pages

Crime Report Writing Essentials

This document provides guidance on report writing for law enforcement. It outlines the importance of thorough and accurate reporting, defines different types of reports and their purposes. The key sections are on observation skills, the purpose of various law enforcement reports, styles of reports, essential qualities of good reports, and components that should be included in reports like descriptions, chronological order of events, and identifying information. Examples of activities are provided where students practice writing reports on burglary and robbery cases.

Uploaded by

vikas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Introduction: Introduces the purpose of report writing and how these notes can assist with quiz preparation.
  • Warm Up Connection: Provokes thought among students on being open-minded, setting up the context for subsequent lessons.
  • Rationale: Explains the importance of writing thorough reports in law enforcement contexts.
  • Objectives: Lists learning objectives for students to define, identify, investigate, and compose reports on various cases.
  • Engage: An interactive exercise where students observe and document items, developing observation skills.
  • Key Points: Introduces the main themes and tasks involved in report writing.
  • Observation: Discusses the significance of observation skills in law enforcement.
  • Purpose of Reports in Law Enforcement: Explains the role of reports in law enforcement, including information retention, case documentation, and court proceedings.
  • Types of Reports: Details different report types used in law enforcement, from initial to supplemental reports.
  • Styles of Reports: Explores different ways reports can be structured, such as narrative or chronological styles.
  • Essential Qualities of a Report: Lists critical attributes a report must have to be effective.
  • Rules for Description: Provides guidelines to enhance the descriptive language used in reports.
  • Four Requisites of a Good Report: Clarifies the four necessary attributes of high-quality reports.
  • Questions to Ask and Answer: Lists fundamental questions that reports should address.
  • Essential Components of a Report: Defines vital elements that should be included in every report.
  • Preparing for the Report: Provides steps on organizing content and information before writing reports.
  • Writing the Report: Outlines a step-by-step approach to drafting detailed and organized reports.
  • Activity #1: Engages students in an activity simulating real reporting scenarios.
  • Activity #2: Offers a creative task where students devise scenarios, practicing report writing skills.
  • Assessment: Lists methods used for the assessment of students’ report writing capabilities through quizzes and exams.

Report Writing Notes

Answer Quiz Questions with these


Notes

Warm up Connection
Nov 7 - 11
Are you Open-minded? How?

Rationale
The ability to write a good report can
make or break a case.
A report that a police officer writes
in his squad car has the potential to
make it to the United States
Supreme Court.

Objectives
The student will be able to:
1. Define the different types of reports and
their functions.
2. Identify what makes a good police report.
3. Investigate a burglary case and write a report
on it.
4. Compose a report on an aggravated robbery
case as part of a multiple choice test.

Engage
Ten items have been placed in a box
for you to observe
Each student come up, one at a time,
using as much time as you need to
observe what is in the box.
Students go back to their desk and
write what they observed.

Key Points

I. Observation
An important skill in law enforcement.
The better an officer observes things,
the better he or she can describe
them

II. The purpose of reports


in law enforcement
A. They provide a source of information while police
carry out an investigation
1. Allows passing of the case from one officer to
another
2. Provides a factual record of the work done on
a case, eliminating duplication
3. Is a requisite for the proper preparation and
presentation of a case to the district attorney
and to the court

B. Helps a department
stay organized
1. The memory system of a department
2. Serves as a written, permanent
record of all department business

C. A report is an
administrative necessity;
most official forms of
communication are
completed using reports.

D. Other purposes
1. The basis for
maintenance of
identification and
criminal records in
Austin
2. Aid in the recovery of
lost or stolen property
3. Contain information
used to apprehend
criminals

4. Used in civil suits


5. Provide factual data
to combat ill-advised
or unreasonable
demands on police
6. Furnish information to
the news media

III. Types of reports

A. Initial reports can begin in the


squad car and end up in the
Supreme Court
1. Arrest reports
2. Incident reports for documentation
purposes only
3. Offense reports begin the investigation
of criminal matters
4. Initial reports written by the assigned
officer, covering the initial investigation,
and lay the foundation for the whole case

B. Supplemental reports
1. All reports other
than the initial
report
2. Written by an
officer, other than
the one assigned,
about his or her
participation in a
particular case

3. Concerned with
follow-up work
performed by
inspectors, detectives,
or investigators
4. Submitted in
connection with the
investigation by
specialists such as
fingerprint
technicians,
photographers, drug
lab analysts, etc.

C. Attachments to reports
including crime scene
photos and sketches, notes,
and other documents filed
with the case report

IV. Styles of reports

A. Narrative
1. Most widely used
2. Information written in a logical
manner or sequence

B. Chronological
1. Events written in order of
occurrence
2. Time element is of prime importance

C. Specialized
1. Summary of reports about
specialized law enforcement and
police problems
2. May be either narrative,
chronological, or both

V. Essential qualities of a
report
A. Clear and complete sentences
B. Proper grammar
C. Detailed descriptions

VI. Rules for description


A. Describe things
without assuming.
B. Use vivid language.
C. Look for distinguishing
marks, color, size,
shape, texture,
location, type, etc.

D. Paint a picture of a place


with words.
E. Describe people from top
to bottom and include
characteristics such as
manner of speaking,
walking, moving, items they
are carrying, etc.
F. Four Corners Rule if it's
not within the four corners
of the paper then it did
not happen

VII. Four requisites of a


good report
A. Factual detailed correctness
B. Clear distinct and unconfused
C. Complete having no deficiency
D. Concise expressing much in a few
words

VIII. Questions to ask


and answer
A. Who?
B. What?
C. When?
D. Where?
E. Why?
F. How?

IX. Essential components


of a report
A. Date

B. Time
C. Location
D. Kind of call

E. Description of
surroundings
F. Description of
vehicle
G. Description of
suspect
H. Chronological order

X. Preparing for the


report
A. Organize your evidence and
information
B. Check with dispatch for updated data
C. Log in the evidence
D. Begin the report

XI. Writing the report


A.First Section
1. Type of call
2. Case number
3. Date and time of the report
4. Date and time of the offense
5. Type of report (offense or incident)

XI. Writing the report


6. Caller information (name, date of birth,
race, sex, hair and eye color, height,
weight, drivers license number)
7. The complete victim or complainant
address and phone number
8. The victim or complainants employer
9. Location of the offense

10. Who it was reported by (complete information)

XI. Writing the report


11. Employer contact information
12. Number of witnesses, number of suspects, etc.
13. The incident or offense
14. Probable cause or MO
15. The report writer
16. Supervisors approval
17. Stolen property entered by dispatch into the
computer (over $2000 value only, or stolen
vehicles)

B. Vehicle or evidence
information
1. Vehicle listing (stolen, recovered,

abandoned, etc.)
2. Vehicle type (make, model, year, license
plate, state of registration, VIN)
3. Value
4. Condition
5. Other Remarks

C. Weapons description
1. Quantity
2. Appearance
3. Caliber
4. Serial Number
5. Model
6. Value

D. Burglary information
1. How the suspect entered the home
a. Home accessible (unlocked)
b. Forced entry
c. Inside job

2. How the suspect left the home

E. Summary
1. Restate the probable cause or
MO (see example).
2. State whether dispatched or on
view.
3. Describe the crime scene.
4. Tell the story.

E. Summary
5. Identify yourself as the reporting
officer (R/O) (not your name).
6. Use R/O for the rest of the report.
7. Identify the victim, suspect, and
witnesses in the report.
8. Take pictures of everything.
9. No pronouns used

Activity # 1

Burglary case

Students hear The Burglary


Case

Students take notes.


Students ask the
instructor questions
related to the crime.
Students then fill out a
report and write a
narrative based on the
notes they have taken
about the crime.

4.

The report must include:

5.

Address
Time of day
Detailed description of the scene
Suspects
Suspect vehicle
Property taken
Detailed accounts of the
witnesses and victims stories
How the suspects approached
and departed the scene
How are the suspects entered
into the system as stolen.

It must have creative aspects


and be at least one page in
length.

Activity # 2
Students create scenarios for the
other students to write a report

Assessment
Notes Quiz
Technical Report Writing Exam

Report Writing Notes Report Writing Notes Answer Quiz Questions with these Answer Quiz Questions with these Notes Notes
Warm up Connection Nov 7 - 11 • Are you Open-minded? How?
Rationale • The ability to write a good report can make or break a case. • A report that a police officer writes in his sq
Objectives The student will be able to: 1. Define the different types of reports and their functions. 2. Identify what mak
Engage • Ten items have been placed in a box for you to observe • Each student come up, one at a time, using as much time a
Key Points Key Points
I. Observation • An important skill in law enforcement. • The better an officer observes things, the better he or she can d
II. The purpose of reports in law enforcement A. They provide a source of information while police carry out an investigati
B. Helps a department stay organized 1. The memory system of a department 2. Serves as a written, permanent record of all
C. A report is an administrative necessity; most official forms of communication are completed using reports.

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